Most Docs Now E-Prescribe
More than half of U.S. physicians now prescribe electronically, according to the latest statistics from
Surescripts, the largest network connecting physician offices to pharmacies in this country.
As of September, 52% of office-based doctors--totaling 291,000 physicians--were sending prescriptions online to pharmacies, compared to fewer than 10% just three years ago.
Overall, there are now 357,000 e-prescribers on the Surescripts network, including doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Ninety-four retail pharmacies nationwide are using the network to receive electronic prescriptions.
But despite e-prescribing's growing popularity, there are bumps in the road. One surprising finding of a 2011 study conducted by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) and sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was that although e-prescription renewals saved physicians time, they sometimes posed bigger routing problems than new prescriptions did. One reason is that a quarter of the participating community pharmacies surveyed didn't send electronic renewal authorization requests. Similarly, a third of physician practices weren't set up to receive e-renewal requests or received them infrequently. So for 2012, there's room for more growth and improvements in e-prescribing.
Recommended Reading
Medicare Delays HIPAA 5010 Enforcement
Mobile Medical Apps: More Education Needed
Docs Warm Up to EHRs, Patients Want Paper
Accountable Care Organizations Can't Survive Without Health IT
Health Information Exchanges Struggle With Sustainability
7 Health Education Tools For Patients
ABCs Of EHRs: New Training Choices For Non-Techies
9 Mobile Health Apps Worth A Closer Look
